1st interview, 1st offer, ACCEPTED. NOW WHAT.

[RNicholask, BSN, RN]

Hey everyone. Congrats on making it this far and graduating.

So I graduated May 2nd and started my first job in the PCCU on June 24th!

This whole week is orientation but I start on the floor July 2nd!

I was hoping to get some tips on working NIGHTS specifically.

1. What helps you sleep during the day?

2. What helps keep you up during your shift around 3am lol

3. How long will it take me to adjust to night shifts?

4. Any book recommendations to further my knowledge?

Again, I am excited to start this journey and do what I love most. Help.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

1. Melatonin, black-out shades, and working all night.

2. Good friends. Internet surfing. Caffiene and sugar overdoses.

3. Depends. This is highly variable person to person. I love nights and have difficulty switching back to days. I have a friend who drags *** all night long.

4. Nope! It's hands-on time now!

[future_anesthetist, BSN, CNA, RN]

Congrats on your new job!! To answer your questions...

1: When I get home from a night shift and I'm exhausted, I close off my windows with my special blackout sheets and sleep like a baby for about 5-6 hours. When I don't work I usually only sleep until noon to allow more time during the day to do things and enjoy the sun. I wouldn't recommend taking melatonin (at least not for long term).

2: I usually don't drink coffee or energy drinks, staying busy and drinking lots of water seems to help. And depending on how you plan your sleep/wake cycle you shouldn't always be tired in the middle of your shift unless you were up since 8 am that day.

3: My charge nurse told me it will take about 3 months to adjust. I'm 1 month in :)

4: I really don't have any book recommendations for your specific area but Amazon of course would :)

SoldierNurse22 said it right, this is the time you will learn more than you ever thought possible just by being there and gaining experiences.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Adjusting to nights isn't bad as long as you let yourself get your sleep. I usually sleep about 10a-6p most days of the week... I get my eight hours and I'm always fresh and ready to go to work whether it's my last day of three or my first. It really is helpful to get your eight hours and sleep the same time every single day, even your off days. That's the best advice I can give. The night people I've worked with who have had the most trouble adjusting are the ones who insist on changing their sleep around every time they have a day off.